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Learn more about the entry requirements for all the Pre-sessional English courses.
Your eligibility for the Pre-sessional English courses depends on:
- your current level of English
- the English level required for your future degree course
- whether you study online or face-to-face
- the type of English language qualification you have
These courses are suitable for both postgraduates and undergraduates.
UCL postgraduate offer holders
If you hold an offer for a postgraduate UCL degree, you will be able to choose to study face-to-face or online.
To ensure we can meet postgraduates’ needs, postgraduates will be grouped together in classes on either the face-to-face or online Pre-sessional courses.
UCL undergraduate offer holders
Undergraduate students have different needs to postgraduate students.
To ensure we can meet these needs, undergraduates will be taught together on the online Standard Pre-sessional course.
Undergraduate students are not eligible for:
- the face-to-face Pre-sessional courses
- the online Extended Pre-sessional course
English language requirements
You can check the entry requirements for your length of course below.
If you meet the entry requirements for the Standard course you should consider applying for the Extended course to give yourself more time to prepare and adjust to teaching and learning at UCL.
Face-to-face courses
If you hold a conditional offer for a postgraduate UCL degree, you must have either:
- an IELTS for UKVI (Academic)
- a Pearson PTE Academic UKVI
Your test date must be not more than two years before the course start date for us to consider the test.
Online courses
If you hold a conditional offer for a postgraduate or an undergraduate UCL degree, we accept the following English language tests for our online Pre-sessional courses:
- IELTS: UKVI / Academic / Indicator
- Pearson Test of English (PTE): UKVI / Academic / Academic Online
- TOEFL: iBT / Home Edition
Your test date must be not more than two years before the course start date for us to consider the test.
Minimum overall and subskill scores required
If you’re a postgraduate offer holder, you can use our Pre-sessional eligibility calculator to see the minimum length of Pre-sessional course you are eligible for on the basis of your IELTS score and the language level required for your UCL degree course.
Undergraduate offer holders can only apply for the online Standard Pre-sessional course.
Use the Pre-sessional eligibility calculator
Alternatively, you can use the information below to check the minimum length of Pre-sessional course you are eligible for.
Standard course
| UCL degree English language requirement | IELTS | TOEFL | Pearson |
|---|---|---|---|
| Online: • UKVI • Academic • Indicator | Online: | Online: • UKVI • Academic • Academic Online | |
| Face-to-face: • UKVI (Academic) | Face-to-face: • not accepted | Face-to-face: • PTE Academic UKVI | |
| Level 1 | • 6.0 overall • 5.5 in each subskill | • 87 overall • 22/30 in reading and writing • 18/30 in speaking and listening | • 67 overall • 59 in each subskill |
| Level 2 | • 6.0 overall • 5.5 in each subskill | • 87 overall • 22/30 in reading and writing • 18/30 in speaking and listening | • 67 overall • 59 in each subskill |
| Level 3 | • 6.5 overall • 6.0 in each subskill | • 92 overall • 24/30 in reading and writing • 20/30 in speaking and listening | • 75 overall • 67 in each subskill |
| Level 4 | • 6.5 overall • 6.0 in each subskill | • 92 overall • 24/30 in reading and writing • 20/30 in speaking and listening | • 75 overall • 67 in each subskill |
| Level 5 | • 7.5 overall • 7.0 in each subskill | • 109 overall • 27/30 in reading and writing • 23/30 in speaking and listening | • 80 overall • 76 in each subskill |
Extended course
| UCL degree English language requirement | IELTS | TOEFL | Pearson |
|---|---|---|---|
| Online: • UKVI • Academic • Indicator | Online: • iBT • Home Edition | Online: • UKVI • Academic • Academic Online | |
| Face-to-face: • UKVI (Academic) | Face-to-face: • not accepted | Face-to-face: • PTE Academic UKVI | |
| Level 1 | • 5.5 overall • 5.0 in each subskill | • 82 overall • 20/30 in reading and writing • 16/30 in speaking and listening | • 59 overall • 53 in each subskill |
| Level 2 | • 5.5 overall • 5.0 in each subskill | • 82 overall • 20/30 in reading and writing • 16/30 in speaking and listening | • 59 overall • 53 in each subskill |
| Level 3 | • 6.0 overall • 5.5 in each subskill | • 87 overall • 22/30 in reading and writing • 18/30 in speaking and listening | • 67 overall • 59 in each subskill |
| Level 4 | • 6.0 overall • 6.0 in writing • 5.5 in other subskills | • 87 overall • 24/30 in writing • 22/30 in reading • 18/30 in speaking and listening | • 67 overall • 67 in writing • 59 in each subskill |
| Level 5 | • 7.0 overall • 7.0 in each subskill | • 100 overall • 25/30 in reading and writing • 23/30 in speaking and listening | • 76 overall • 76 in each subskill |
UCL unconditional degree offer holders
If you already hold an unconditional degree offer, we will not consider you for the Extended or Standard Pre-sessional courses.
A Pre-sessional course specifically for UCL unconditional postgraduate offer holders will be offered in September 2024.
Find out more about the Unconditional Pre-sessional English course.
IOE degree offer holders
Please note, if you are an offer holder for an IOE degree, you should apply to the IOE Preparation for Academic Studies in Higher Education courses.
IOE degree offer holders are not eligible for the Pre-sessional courses.
Previous Pre-sessional students
If you have previously studied a Pre-sessional course at UCL then unfortunately we will be unable to consider a further Pre-sessional application.